"That's it. No more Mr. Nice Duck!"
Admittedly, there are reasons to go in with low expectations. The quotes on the DVD cover, which are naturally going to be the most complimentary ones they could possibly use, are all about the special effects and nothing else. The film is "presented by" George Lucas, and any film which is "presented by" someone more famous is invariably directed by someone quite obscure. Also, back in those distant days before the Star Wars prequels when George Lucas actually had a good reputation, this was generally considered one of the worst things he's put his name to.
Actually, though, I was very pleasantly surprised. It's not a particularly great film, fair enough, but it's a pleasantly nostalgic experience to watch it today. Yes, the plot is a bit plodding, the tone overly sentimental and the jokes forced, but without these things it just wouldn't be a 1980s Hollywood adaptation. And the film lays on the 1980s-ness so heavily that it's hard to accept that it's from the real 1980s and not a modern pastiche of the 1980s that thinks it was all Rubik's cubes, shoulder pads, Mr. T and Boy George. Let's do a list, shall we?
- Lea Thompson is in it, and she's one of the most 1980s people ever. Plus, her hair is looking particularly 1980s. Oh, and she's lead singer in a band that's just like the Bangles.
- We have one of those sorts of nightclubs that are only ever seen in movies from the 1980s, complete with an extraordinary array of hairstyles and probably half the world's supply of hairspray.
- Howard gets shoved all the way along a bar until he falls off the end, and then walks purposefully across it to get his revenge. This only ever happens in 1980s film and TV.
- There's some outrageous product placement for, of all things, Heinz mustard and tomato ketchup.
- There's an end of level baddie at the end as the Dark Overlord attains his true form, thus indicating that we've just entered the age of the video game, and yet this monster is a rather splendid, Ray Harryhausen style stop-motion thingy that moves just a little too quickly and awkwardly but is nevertheless the greatest thing ever. This combination could have happened in no other decade.
So, yay for all that. Of course, the duck costume looks rubbish. Of course, you have to raise an eyebrow at how easy it seems to be for a literal illegal alien to get a job. And yes, the film translates very little of Steve Gerber's absurd humour and sharpness to the screen, although Beverley does utter the phrase "trapped in a world you never made". But this is fun, nostalgic to the point where even the rubbish bits are nostalgically rubbish, and features Lea Thompson with not many clothes on. What more do you want? Although it has to be said that the film only has a 12 certificate and yet there are rather broad hints of what is technically bestiality…!
What do you mean beastality? Howard and Beverly were always a couple in the comics.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes Beast and Carly on X-Men The animated series or Vastra and Jenny on Doctor Who no different?
I've only read the odd issue of Steve Gerber's comic book masterwork but yes, I'm aware they were a couple in the comics. But it still feels like interspecies sex, whatever the medium, not that I'm taking it too seriously.
ReplyDeleteAs for your other examples- well, the Beast is a mutant but fundamentally still human. But Vastra and Jenny? Yes indeed, an they're a great couple!
Marvel is never judgmental about love between two different Beings like Hepzibah and Corsair (a furry alien cat-skunk woman and Cyclops's human space pirate father), Tigra and Hank, Lilandra and Xavier (an alien bird woman who's race evolved from a race of birds and a mutant man), Alicia/Thing, Starlord and Gamora, Howard/Beverly (human woman and interdimensional duck Being) etc. I think they are inspirational couples and even Lilandra/Xavier, Howard/Beverly and Hepzibah/Corsair are proof in Marvel you don't have to be the same species or race of Being to fall in love and love is love as appearances don't matter as they all love each other for who they are and not what they are.
DeleteNow recent examples of interspecies or inter-Being love has been on Regular Show with Margaret's parents one being a human man and one being a humanoid Bird woman and Doctor Who who has an alien lizard woman who is a lesbian married to a human woman and both couples are inspiring no doubt as you don't have to be the same race or Species to fall in love and both are Beings no doubt, And you know something? I am very proud to see that fact in Margaret's parents and Vastra and Jenny. It's absolutely inspiring to see that appearances means nothing to Frank and his wife with Vastra and Jenny. They love each other for who they are, not what they are. The same thing applies to the Marvel lovers i mentioned. Same goes for Vinnie and Charlene on Biker Mice from Mars is another example which has a human woman from Earth and an alien humanoid mouse man and both are sapient mammal Beings no doubt just like Sonic and Sally are sentient mammal beings and nothing wrong with two sapient evolved mammal Beings in love you know who have same body structure like us, same parts, same language and intelligence and all that.
I am very supportive of interspecies or rather inter-being couples/romance in stories even comics/games/animation/sci-fi fantasy etc. but only if it involves a humanoid being, a sapient or sentient being, magical creature being (ala mermaid or gargoyle or vampire or elf etc.), alien being or mutant being which is ok because they can consent but never to a 4 legged regular feral non-evolved non-humanoid non-sapient animal creature like an ordinary feral animal like say an ordinary regular 4 legged Labordor retreiver and a human for example as that would be beastality since it's a thing that cannot think or consent or have feelings especially romanatic like a Being would and it isn't a Being who has same structures/body build/nor humanoid looking like any Being in general is. Afterall the word "people" just don't mean just human but Beings in general like from other worlds and stuff as it's alright to love a different Being in Sci-fi/fantasy, comics and all that. As i see in Sci-fi/fantasy that inter-species or rather inter-Being love is an allegory for interracial or same-sex love in a way.
Well, I'd consider the Thing and Alicia to both be fundamentally human but I don't disagree with your general point. It's an interesting thought that fantastical interspecies love can be a metaphor for interracial or same sex love, especially when many of your Marvel examples date from times when both of these were much less accepted. I don't think it's a subtext particularly present in the film but you could certainly say that it's there in the source material.
DeleteYeh i know Thing/Alicia are both humans but there are non human ones like Howard, Lilandra and Hepzbiah plus Gamora etc. There was also Hellboy and Liz in the comics/movies, Star Wars/Trek alien races with different alien being races even with humans, Polly Pineblossom and that rich man on The Littlest Tramp episode of the 80s New Adventures of Mighty Mouse (a human man and a mouse woman),Catherine and Vincent in the 80s/early 90s Beauty and the Beast show, Preston and Carola in Tales from the Darkside the Movie, Eliza and Goliath on Gargoyles, TankGirl and Booga in Tankgirl comics, InuYasha and Kagome, Mass Effect which has alien races with different alien races even romancing to human beings, Farscape alien beings with different races/species of alien Beings even to humans, Eric and Ariel, Batman and Cheetah on Justice League, Nick and Judy on Zootopia, Aragon and Arwen (human and elf), Minerva Mink and a human lover in a story series, Duckman who romanced with different mammal anthro beings/different bird people/even human ladies on the show and so much more.
DeleteI believe in comics especially ones/fanfiction/sci-fi fantasy stories even Star Wars/animation/games/Sci-fi fantasy films etc. that a person should have that right to love whoever they want to love as the artist or writer thinks so for consenting adults and i am a long time open minded person for when i watch a movie/show, play a game or read a graphic novel or comic or book for escapism and feel drawn in the story.
As Prince Lir in Peter S Beagle's The Last Unicorn (ever read that Book and seen that movie?) once said when he found out the loveliest girl he ever laid eyes on and romanced known as Lady Amalthea is a humanized unicorn "Unicorn, mermaid, gorgon, sorceress, vampire, elf, werewolf, gargoyle..no name you'd give her would surprise or frighten me, i love whom i love" which is one of my all time favorite quotes. What Lir said in that amazing timeless quote since 1968/1982 in the movie/book of The Last Unicorn is it's meaning is because of the utter devotion that it implies, he love Amalthea, the essence of her, and no matter what she is or was it wouldn't or couldn't sway him from that affection. And it's also 100 percent true, you cannot alter your feelings sometimes, if you love that person you love them despite their appearance. Like say if someone's girlfriend reveled to her lover that she is an alien reptilian woman with blue hair and the man still loves her as she is as beautiful as her human shell and it's called soul-mates.
Now do you think Marvel can handle Howard better for a Netflix show? he did a great cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy and James Gunn should do the spinoff Howard series based on the comics.
Oh, Howard would be AWESOME as a Netflix show, and oddly in keeping with the '70s street vibe of what they've done so far.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, when I made my original casual comment about "bestiality" I think it was probably on the grounds of it being sex between a human and a duck, but of course Howard is in fact a sentient being that looks like a duck and not a bird that goes quack. I've never seen couplings between humans and sentient non-humans as an issue really, the plausibility of offspring aside!